Windows Preinstallation Environment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) is a lightweight version of Windows XP/Windows Server 2003 that is used for the deployment of workstations and servers by large corporations. It is also used by OEMs to preinstall Windows client operating systems to PCs during manufacturing. It can also be used as an alternative to MS-DOS as an OS by booting from a CD or USB flash drive instead of booting from a floppy or hard disk.
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[edit] Overview
Originally WinPE was only meant to be used as a platform for deploying Microsoft Windows operating systems. In later versions WinPE has developed into a platform for the following uses:
- Deployment of workstations and servers in large corporations.
- Preinstallation of workstations and servers to be sold to end users, by system builders.
- Recovery Platform used by larger system builders such as Acer, HP and several others for use in Windows recovery.
- Replacement for MS-DOS as a utility operating system used by technicians in system diagnostics and installation repair.
- Platform for 3rd party windows utilities such as the newest version of Symantec Ghost
The package can be used for developer testing or as a recovery CD/DVD for system administrators. Many people on the internet have created customized WinPE boot CDs and included other third-party applications for different uses.
The current version is 2.0, based on the Windows Vista kernel. This version has introduced a number of improvements and extended the availability of WinPE to all customers, not just corporate enterprise customers.
[edit] WinPE Versions
The following versions are known to exist
[edit] Windows PE Version 1.0
Built from the first version of Windows XP Professional.
[edit] Windows PE Version 1.1
Built from Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 1 (SP1).
[edit] Windows PE Version 1.2
Built from Windows Server 2003 family.
[edit] Windows PE Version 2004 (1.5)
Built from Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 (SP2).
[edit] Windows PE Version 2005 (1.6)
Built from Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1).
[edit] Windows PE Version 2006 (2.0)
Built from Microsoft Windows Vista.
[edit] See also
- BartPE is a third-party alternative to WinPE.
